How to Design a Home Security System

In today's age it is common knowledge that owning a monitored home security system greatly reduces your chances of being a victim to a home robbery or burglary. Law enforcement authorities everywhere recommend you installing a home security system to not become the next victim. So the question that remains is not whether to get a home security system but rather which home security system to get. Today you will see On the everything from hardwired, wireless and even do it yourself home security systems. The choices are endless when it comes to home security system options in equipment and features. You can have a security system specialist come by and make suggestions, but how do you know if the recommendations they are making are right for you? This article is intended to help answer the question, how to design a home security system? We will examine the absolute essential items that make up a complete home security system.

Hardwired or Wireless Home Security System

The first thing to consider when designing a home security system is whether to choose a wired or wireless home security system. The benefit of using a wired home security system comes in the way of better visual look and low maintenance. Wired sensors are more pleasing to the eye because on average they are much smaller in size than wireless sensors. Wired sensors also require no maintenance whereas wireless sensors require maintenance such as occasional battery changes. On the other hand, there are certain advantages that wireless home security systems have over wired home security systems. The first and most obvious benefit of using a wireless home security system is the convenience of not having to run messy wires. No messy wires means no drilling at doors and windows. So if cleanliness is of high regard to you then going wireless is the best way to go. Another benefit to using a wireless home security system is the fraction of time it takes to install compared to a wired home security system. While traditional wired home security systems take several days to install, a wireless home security system is installed in a matter of hours. Lastly, another major benefit to using a wireless home security system comes in the way of zoning capabilities. While wired home security systems ordinarily are designed for sensors to share the same zone identification, wireless home security systems are designed to have independent zones per wireless device. In simpler terms, this means that if a window is left open on a wireless home security system you will have the exact location identified instantly. On a wired home security system you may experience a zone open condition and have a zone description to the area where the fault exists but not know exactly which door or window is open. This is a critical benefit when it comes to troubleshooting.

Perimeter Protection Home Security System

Once you have determined whether you want to use a wired or wireless home security system, the next question to ask is what kind of protection to include. While it is a fact that most burglaries or break ins occur through doors in homes, it is imperative to protect the windows as well. To correctly design your home security system you must include door and window sensors on all perimeter doors and windows. This is the first line of protection on your home security system. All doors and widows should be protected from anyone opening them while the home security system is armed. Many home security companies will do their best to convince you that all you need to protect is the doors in your home. However, to properly design a home security system, it is necessary to place door and window contacts on all openings in the home.

Interior Protection Home Security System

After all the doors and windows have been protected by utilizing door and window contacts, the next level of protection deals with protecting the interior of the home. Door and window contacts or sensors protect against anyone actually opening a door or window. This however doesn't help if someone breaks the glass on a sliding door and walks right though without actually opening the sliding door. If this happens, a burglar can actually walk into your home undetected while the home security system is armed. To avoid such a thing happening, the best option to use is the interior motion detector. Every home security system should be equipped with at least one interior motion sensor. If a burglar breaks the glass on a window or door and walks in undetected, once he passes in the path of a motion sensor, the home security system will cause an alarm condition to take place.

The only draw back to using motion detectors is the fact that they can only be used when no one is home. If a motion sensor is activated when someone is home then that person will actually set of the motion sensor themselves. This then leaves you unprotected from someone entering your home at night when you are sleeping. The solution to this problem comes by installing interior glass break sensors. These glass break sensors actually have built in microphones that detect the sound and vibration of breaking glass. The obvious benefit is that they can be used whether you are at home or out of the home. All home security system should be designed to have glass break sensors installed in all areas of the home where there is glass that could potentially be shattered.

External and Internal Sounding Home Security System

Once the foundation has been laid as to how the doors and windows are being completely protected, the next step is to install sounding devices. At the minimum an interior siren is essential. An interior siren will be loud enough to wake everyone up in the home but more importantly, it will serve to alert the intruder that they have set off the home security system. If your budget allows for it, installing an exterior siren is very advisable. Adding an exterior siren helps in deterring a burglary from happening because the intruder knows that the neighbors can hear the siren and will cause them to look outside for signs of a break in. This will cause an intruder to leave the protected premises immediately.

While there are a list of other things that can be added to your home security system, these are the essential ones to look for when designing a home security system. If you would like further information on how to best design your home security system, then call us today and speak to one of our home security system specialists. Call anytime at (786)325-7867 or visit our website at www.miamifloridahomesecurity.com and go to the contact page.

*$99.00 Customer Installation Charge. 36-Month Monitoring Agreement required at $36.99 per month ($1,295.64). Form of payment must be by credit card or electronic charge to your checking or savings account. Offer applies to homeowners only. Local permit fees may be required. Satisfactory credit history required. Certain restrictions may apply. Offer valid for new ADT Authorized Dealer customers only and not on purchases from ADT Security Services, Inc. Other rate plans available. Cannot be combined with any other offer.